St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-04-17
the chemicals before making any headway,
and the damage will be trifing.
PRESERVE THE FREES.
Our Forests Bear a Close and Pecu.
liar Relation to Our Prosperity.

Our Forests Bear a Close and Pecu-
liar Relation to Our Prosperity.
Philadelphia Press.
Prof. Edmund j. James. of the Uni
verslty of Pennsylvania, lectured last even
ing in the Friends institute course. at the
Academy of Fine Arts, On "Our Forests
and the Public Veal" He said:
The forests Of any large country bear a
peculiar relation to our national prosperity.
Most people have an inadequate idea of the
economic value of our own forests. the pro-
ducts of which in 1880 exceeded $700, 000,
600. This interest ranks third in the line
of our material prosperity, counting man
ufacturing first and agriculture second. If
forests were of no more consequence than
as the source of the increment of wealth
which their annual yield repre-
sents. they would be worthy of especial at
tention and care. But although the ma
tional government has put forth great ef-
forts and expended untold sums for the
promotion of agriculture and manufactur
ing, for improving highways and rivers it
has done almost nothing for the protection
and cultivation of our forests, from which
we are deriving larger value in natural
wealth than from all other natural sup
plies.
But the argument that we should take
care of Our forests for fear that a scarcity
of timber would follow their destruction is
not the only one presented for their SuS-
tenance. A more important one is that
they determine to great extent climatic
and hygienc conditions. Whether the
presence of forests increases the rainfall in
given area is disputed question, but
that they bring about much better distri-
button of moisture throughout the year is not
doubted. The forests are the regulators of
the character of our great and little streams.
This affects navigation and the whole trans
pOrtatiQn system of the conntry.as 1t affects
manufacturing, for factories and mills would
not be founded along water course which
is torrent one-fOurth of a year and a dry
bed during a like period It affects the
water supply of Our great cities. 1t would,
for instance, be possible to seriously injure
agricultural interests along the lower Ohio
by merely cutting off the forests at its
sources.
Moreover, trees purify the atmosphere,
They dry it when too damp and moisten it
when too dry. They are manufacturers of
ozone, the life-giging element of the atmos-
phere. Dr.. Pepper has shown that the
greatest immunity from consumption exists
where large areas of pine forests still
stand.
IF all the forests we're cut off from the
American continent the greater part of it.
would become in half generation a how'll
ing wilderness incapable of supporting man
or beast. A certain ratio, between 20 nd
80 per cent. of the whole agricultural region
of any country must, for the good Of the
rest, remain forest land.
ut was estimated in 1870 that 1O,-
600, 900 acres of forest lands were cleared
each year, at which rate of consumption it
would require only forty years to clear out
all woodland reported as belonging to pri-
vate parties. The great pine forests of
New England, New York and Pennsyl-
vania are rapidly disappearing, While
those of Michigan and Wisconsin
present rate of consumption. and
the great forests of the Southern states will
disappear in their turn. Browsing animals
and forest fires, however, are as destructive
as the axe. The railroads, moreover, infiict
enormous damage on the forests. Ties ale
cut from young trees, which would in fifty
! years afford immense quantities Of valuable
timber. For this purpose $4,000. 600 vigor-
Gus young trees are destroyed annually.
1T all amounts to this: We are cutting
off our forests much faster than we are re.
producing them. What can we do to pre-
vent our forests from entirely disappearing?
First, wide and extensive care on the
part of the government is necessary. 1t is
a short-sighted policy to hand the timber
resources of the country over to private
parties without control. The government
timber lands should be taken from the list
of lands for sale and be kept
under the control of the government.
The general establishment of state
holiday called 'Arbor Day is necessary.
A school of forestry should be established
where the unsolved problems could be
worked out and the knowledge acquired be
distributed.
1T goes without saying that the govern
ment should enact and enforce laws which
shall put an end to the criminal destruction
of our forestry, whose first business should
be to take account Of stock of all forests in
the state. We need an adequate library
right here in Philadelphia of books on this
subject, particularly the French and German
works."
Nat j ones ksig Deal.